1. Cross-Reference to Related Applications
This application is related to my co-pending application, U.S. Ser. No. 07/093,243, filed in the U.S. Patent Office on Sept. 4, 1987, now abandoned, and is an improvement thereover.
2. Field of the Invention
This application is related to the game of baseball and more particularly, this application is related to the baseball bat used therein. Still more particularly, this invention is related to the grip of said baseball bat. Even more particularly, this invention is related to a method for improving the swing of the user thereof thus producing a more efficient swing.
3. Discussion of the Prior Art
There are a host of prior art references which describe various forms of games in which a ball is struck by some sort of instrument. Most of these instruments have some sort of gripping arrangement in order to improve the grip of the user thereof. For example, tennis racquets and golf clubs are all instruments which are designed to strike a ball during the playing thereof. These instruments all have some sort of grip arrangement located on the handle in order to improve the grip and the swing during use. Baseball is a game that is also played with an instrument to strike a ball. This instrument called a baseball bat, has a large end which strikes the ball during use and a smaller end that is gripped by the user. Various prior art references describe the use of gripping aids on baseball bats. These may be in the form of tape or the like or some sort of rubber sleeve that is slipped on over the gripping area to improve the grip of the user, for example. It is important in baseball to maintain a steady, level swing when using this bat. Since the grip on the handle of the baseball bat is achieved using both hands, and since the swing of the bat is from the shoulders in a motion essentially parallel with the ground or playing surface, it is vital that this grip be positioned correctly to maintain the requisite level, even swing. To achieve this correct grip, the player normally will insure that the finger knuckles of both hands are in alignment with each other so that the swing may be accomplished with the full extension of the elbows, for example. In my previously filed application, I described an element which could be applied to the gripping end of the baseball bat under a standard grip and at a predetermined distance from the end of the grip. This device is properly located for one of the players hands and rotates during the swing of the bat to provide the requisite alignment of the hands.
However, all of these prior art references suffer from some sort of deficiency. A standard grip only improves the overall grip of the user and does nothing to insure proper alignment of the hands. The device described in U.S. Ser. No. 7/093,243 tends to slip during use and move up or down the bat handle thus preventing the proper use thereof. This slipping motion is undesirable since the grip must be placed in proper position at almost every use. Thus, there are no prior art elements which can be used to improve the grip on a baseball bat and at the same time improve the swing of the user thus resulting in more and better hits on the ball.